Walk · Derbyshire

Calke Abbey parkland and woodland

Ticknall · DE73 7LE
A514 Beighton's Hill Melbourne Lane China House Pond Mere Pond N 440 YD © OpenStreetMap contributors
4.2MILES
2h 10mON FOOT
130mCLIMB
CircularSHAPE
The route A-road B-road Lane Track Path Water Woodland
Off-road 96% 4% shares tarmac with cars
Field & moor path 48%Lane & track 48%Road with traffic 4%

Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill.

Starts at
Calke Abbey main car park, a mile inside the gates from Ticknall DE73 7LE
Parking
National Trust car park, free to members and paid otherwise; the drive gates close in the early evening and the overflow field opens at busy weekends
Directions to the start →

Four and a quarter miles and a little over two hours through the deer park, the ancient oaks and the woodland rides of a National Trust estate that has been left deliberately unmanicured. Start from the main Calke car park a mile inside the gates from Ticknall, free to members and paid otherwise, and note the estate gates close in the early evening. Dogs are free to roam the parkland under close control, which makes Calke unusual among big houses, and are welcome on short leads in the stableyards, gardens, restaurant and shop; the park holds red and fallow deer and grazing sheep, so recall needs to be genuine or the lead goes on.

THE SMALL PRINTDogs may roam the parkland under close control but must be on a short lead in the stableyards, gardens, restaurant, shop and bookshop; deer and grazing sheep share the park, and the estate gates close in the early evening.

House rules, decoded

Off-lead OK
Livestock — leads on
In the dining room
REGION · DERBYSHIRE
GRID · 52.8072, -1.4614
SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.NATIONALTRUST.ORG.UK/VISIT/PEAK-DISTRICT-DERBYSHIRE/CALKE-ABBEY/VISITING-CALKE-ABBEY-WITH-YOUR-DOG
Also in Ticknall
No photo yet
Attraction SOME LIMITS

Calke Abbey

DE73 7LE
No reviews yet

The un-restored house in a deer park of ancient oaks, ponds and woodland walks, and one of the National Trust's best rated places for a day with a dog. Dogs may be off lead and under close control in the open parkland when no stock is grazing, but must be on a short lead in the gardens and stableyards, and on a lead wherever livestock are - typically the meadows, the historic drive and Lime Avenue. Dog bins and water are provided, and there is a dog walking guide at the visitor centre.

Off-lead OK Livestock — leads on Water bowls
VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW ›
No photo yet
Pub DOGS WELCOME

The Staff of Life

DE73 7JH
No reviews yet

Country pub on Ticknall's main street, a mile from the Calke Abbey gates and stocked with maps for walks from the door. There is a dedicated dog-friendly area seating up to ten, and one ground-floor bedroom with a private entrance near the car park takes a well-behaved dog. That combination - a pub that will feed you and put the dog up - is rare in South Derbyshire.

In the bar In the dining room
VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW ›
No photo yet
Pub SOME LIMITS

The Wheel Inn

DE73 7JZ
No reviews yet

Village pub at the Melbourne end of Ticknall, the closest bar to Calke Abbey's entrance. Dogs are welcome in the bar and the courtyard area, which the pub states plainly, though not in the restaurant side. A sensible finish to a morning in Calke's parkland.

In the bar
VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW ›

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